Little Falls transcript., 1887-05-13
~ BUY WHO WAS WILD, Il I

New York Mail and Express. IL, U
II Five years ago the son Of Mr.. John
White, OF Syracuse. was sent to sea
because he was q trif1e wild. From
Melbourn Mr.. White received letter
from the captain stating his boy had
deserted and gone into the interior OF
the country. Later Mr.. White receiv-
ed q short letter from his boy saying
he was in Melbourne. Months passed
and, hearing nothing more, Mr.. White
sent to the American Consul to try
and get some news of his son. He re-
ceived a reply that q young man an
swering Whites description had died
in the Melbourne hospital OF Typhoid
fever. The family have mourned for
their dead boy. Recently they were
surprised by his return.
Two days later, when White had
been home long enough to be allowed
out OF his parents sight for g. few
moments, he was met by Mail and
Express reporter, to whom he told
the story Of his wanderings. Seven
years ago, when he was only 10, he
was about as wild q boy as could be
found wandering about without q
keeper.
MY poor father tried everything to
persuade me to keep straight" said
White, ''but one morning when I
returned from Yale with an invitation
in my pocket to keep away from the
college in the future, the old gentle
man lost the last vestige ofhis temper
and decided to send me to sea. I did
not much mind the prospect then, but
if I had known all would have to 90
through think would have cut my
throat before I started. Arrange
ments were made for me on the
ship Black Hawk, bound to Mel
bourne, Australia. I was to live
in the house with the carpenter and
boat swain, and to take my meals in
the cabin at the second table. Ibid
so for two days, but at the end ofthat
time the captain ordered me to go
aloft and loosen the mainroyal. Ihad
not got over my seasickness, and the
prospect of climbing to that dizzy
height was not pleasant. Istarted all
the same. Ihad never been off the
deck, but I had seen the sailors up
aloft, and it looked so easy that l
was quite sure l could do almost as
we'll as they. When I reached the top
and found I had to crawl over it like
a fly began to weaken. To add to
my troubles, as climbed higher the
motion Of the vessel seemed to in
crease, and Ifelt awfully sick. Hook
ed down on. deck to ask permission to
descend. Before I could do so l be-
came dizzy. I did not wait for any
further excuse. l seized the first rope
l saw and slid down. The captain
was in a towering passion. He swore
at me and dubbed me until he got tired
and then said he would not have cab
In grub wasted in such reckless
way. could move into the lorecastle
and see if I could eat salt horse and
hard bread. 1t took us ITO days to
reach Melbourne, and my life tor that
time was q torment. Every time I
went on deck I was given the dirtiest
kind of work. It was so bad that I
made up my mind to run away as
soon as the ship got in port. The
first night we made fast to the long
pier at Sandridge I slipped over the
side with my best clothes done up in
a bundle and $50 which l had brought
from homein my pockets, and started
to walk the three miles to Melbourne.
loafed round the Victoria Hotel
the first day reached Melbourne and
got in with a. rather tough set. Pok-
er was proposed in the evening and [
was done out of every cent. I had
paid a days board in advance. so
I went to bed and thought over
what I should do. I decided to
20 to sea again. The next day I re-
turned to the same boarding house
keeper who had hidden me away and
told him wanted a. ship. He soon
procured me one going to Shanghai,
China. I was obliged to ship as an
able seaman, but thought they could
not find out how incompetent I was
until we got to sea and then they
could not throw me overheard, so I
would get to China anyway. The trip
was not pleasant by any means. The
chief officer in whose watch Twas took
a dislike to me and all the nasty Jobs
about the ship fell to my share. The
captain was a frst-rate man and did
not allow any ill-usage, so I got off
pretty we'll until after we had arrived
in Shanghai and the captain had gone
on shore. Then the mate told me to
90 aloft. 1t was showing hard. l.
went up with pair Of mittens in my
hands. The mate yelled at me to
come down. As my foot touched the
deck he struck me across the eyes
with piece of rope having an iron
ring on the end of it.
I staggered to the combings OF the
hatch and dropped there with my
head buried in my hands. I felt q
bucket OF icecold water thrown over
me and heard the mates voice telling
me to get up. Hooked at him, and
though almost blind, could see his fig-
ure standing over me with the same
rope. In a moment the hatred which
had been growing all the months since
we left Aurtralia seemed to rise in me.
/ drew a sheath knife from my belt
and made one lunge with it.. was
too blind to see where I was striking,
but I felt the blade meet something
soft and heard fearful groan and a
heavy fall. Everything seemed strange
and indistinct about me, but l seemed
to hear cries for the police. and then
l felt the men take hold of me, drag
me into the cabin and lock me in a
little closet. In an hour the captain
opened the door and called me out.
I could not see him very we'll because
! was still nearly blind His
voice, Thought, was not as harsh as
it MIGHT have been. He asked me
why had tried to kill the mate, and
when | had told him ordered me back
into the closet I sat there for hours